Reversible seat for railway cars



Nov. 4, 1958 M. FOX

REVERSIBLE SEAT FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed July 14, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 4, 1958 M. Fox 2,858,880

REVERSIBLE SEAT FOR RAILWAY CARS v Filed July 14, 1955 l 4 Sheets-Sheet'. 2

Nov. 45 1958 M. Fox

REVERSIBLE SEAT FOR RAILWAY CARS L.

Filed July` 14. 1955 l f" 1/ Za j F155 4 SheetrsfSheet 5 Nov. 4, 1958 M. FOX

REVERSIBLE SEAT FOR RAILWAY CARS Filred July 14, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FME 4 l 1715.5

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United stampati-:1m o" 2,858,880 REVERSIBLE sEAnnoRRAILwAY-CARS v'Martin Fox, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Seng Company,

av corporation 0 1. Illinois Application July 14,19.55,"Seri2l1-N0. 522,083

2 Claims. "(l. 15S-'99) :positions withxeach seat.por.tion..serving.as the base-'of the tseat 1n .one of the two positions.

Theiprincipal object .fof .theinvention is to provide a .reversible seat forrailway cars :which is of very-'simple :constructionz and..has a .stronga-nd durable linkage. A further object of the` invention is to provide a reverslble seat structure whichis latchedlin either one of its ,two oppositely facingpositionslbyv asimple foot actuated latch mechanism.

A further `object of the invention is to provide a reversible seat structure for vehicles in which a single latch serves to latch the seat member in either of its two oppositely facing positions.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figs. 1 and 2 are longitudinal sectional views of the seat structure with the seat member in its two oppositely facing seat positions, said sections being taken substantially along the line 1 1 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a section taken as indicated along the line 3 3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken as indicated along the line 4 4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section taken as indicated along the line 5 5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken as indicated along the line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and referring rst to Figs. l to 3, vthe seat structure of the present' invention includes a rectangular base member, indicated generally at 10, which has an inner end rail 11, an outer end rail 12 and side rails 13, the base member being supported at its corners upon four legs 14. The legs 14 eX- tend above the base 10 to receive arm rails 14a and 14b. The inner end rail 11 is so called because it is positioned adjacent the aisle when the seat structure is installed in a railway car, while the outer end rail is near the car wall. Mounted on the inner end rail 11 adjacent the side rails 13 is a pair of support plates 15 and 16, while on the outer end rail 12 aligned with the support plates 1S and 16 is a pair of support plates 17 and 18. The support plates to 18, inclusive, are provided, respectively, with pivots 15a to 18a to receive swinging seat member support links 19, 20, 21 and 22, respectively.

A seat member, indicated generaly at 23, is mounted upon the swinging support links 19 to 22. The seat member 23 is substantially L-shaped in cross section, and includes two identical angularly disposed, xed seat portions 23a and 23h, each of which may serve either as the bottom or as the back of a seat depending upon which way the seat member is facing. As seen in Fig. 1, the seat portion 23a is the bottom and the seat portion 23b is the back, while in Fig. .2 these rpositions are reversed. The

seat-member 23 has a'frame'whichiis lessentially 1inth'e form of'two rectangles 'in '.ran'gular relationship to `one another, the v4rectangles Vlhaving j'a kcommon longitudinal arcuate central'stringer`2'4 which has 'an arm 24aformin'g part of the'seat portion"23a"a'nd a secondarm 24h forming ,part of the seatjportionl23b. `The frames "for th'e seat portions'23a .and `l`23b include inner .end.bars, nurnbered 25a and 25b, respectively, which are adjacentth'e `inner endrail .11of the base member 10; and thereare also outer bars26a and `2`6b ','('see`.Fig.v 3) which fare `adjacent the .outer end rail 12 of Vthe basey member L10. The rectangular frames are completed by outer longikAteah .end `of each of l.the .seat portions 23a and 23h isan angle member, .those'on the inner end rails 25a` and l.25b being .design-ated fas .29 and .30, respectively, `and vthose .on V'the outerend. rails l26a and 2'6b`being designated gas..31..and 32. Theswinging links V19 .and .240 .are con- .nected,1respectively,.to pivots 30a.fand .29a on -the angle members.30.and 29;while :the swinging supportlinks .'2'1

vand 22 .are-connected. vto. pivots 32a and .(3111, respectively, Y.on .the anglemembersLand 31. `Comparing l-Tigs.v n1 2 andi,` whenlhe vseat rmemberl3fis yinV thepositiono'f'Fig.

l the angle vmembers '29 and 31 are substantially midway between the longitudinal rails 13 of the base 10; while in the position of Fig. 2 the angle members 30 and 32 -occupy that location. Shifting of the seat member between the position of Fig. l and the position of Fig. 2 is accomplished by pushing forward and down upon the seat portion which occupies the position of a seat back so as to swing the links 19, 20, 21 and 22 about their support pivots 15a, 16a, 17a and 18a, respectively.

The seat members are latched in either of their two positions by means of a latch assembly, indicated generally at 33, which is mounted on the inner end rail 11 of the base member 10, so that the latch assembly'is adjacent a railway car aisle where it may be easily manipulated. The latch element of the latch assembly 33 engages an open lip 29b on one arm of theangle member 29, or a similar open lip 30b on one arm of the angle member 30, depending upon which of the two seat portions forms the seat bottom. As best seen in Fig. 4, the

open lip 29b is in register with a recess in the end bar 25a of the seat frame. Similarly, there is a recess in the end bar 25b of the scat frame in register with the open lip 30h of the angle member 30.

Referring further to Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the latch assembly 33 includes a latch mounting plate 34 which is secured to the inside of the inner end rail 11 and has an inwardly offset latch supporting portion 35 which, as best seen in Fig. 5, extends to a position beneath the ends of the seat portions 23a or 23b. The latch supporting portion 35 of the mounting plate 34 is provided with a pivot 36 to receive a bell crank latch member 37 which has one arm 38 provided with a hook to engage the open lip 29b or the open lip 30b, and a second arm 39 having a pivot 40 by means of which the bell crank is connected to an upright latch actuating arm 41. As best seen in Figs. 5 and 6, the latch actuating arm 41 is offset in a manner similar to the latch mounting plate 34 so that it has aV combined attaching and vactuating portion 42 the upper portion of which is in sliding contact with the face of the latch mounting plate 34 with which it is connected by means of a headed pin 43 extending through a slot 44. As seen in Fig. 4, the tension spring 45 is connected to a stud 46 on the actuating arm and a stud 47 on the latch mounting plate 34 so as to urge the actuating arm 41 up.

Wardly, which rocks the bell crank latch member 37 into a position with the hook on the arm 38 in engagement with the open lip 29h or 30h as the case may be. Conveniently the lower portion 42 of the actuating arm l41 extends to a position close to the oor and has an outtuned foot pedal portion 48 yso that a person desiring to reverse the` position of the seat member 23 need only 'angularly disposed fixed seat portions each of which may serve either `as the bottom or'as the back of a seat, said seat memberbeing swingably'supported on said base member for movement between two oppositely facing positionswith each of said seat portions serving as 'the bottom of the seat in one of said two positions; a latch plate on each of said seat 'portions at a point which is adjacent the center yof an end of the frame when said seat portion forms the base of the seat; a bell crank with a latch lug on one arm to selectively engage either latch plate; a vertically slideable, depending latch activating arm secured t-o the other leg of the bell crank, said arm having a laterally projecting foot piece at its lower end; and spring means urging said arm upwardly.

2. In a reversible seat mechanism for vehicles which rincludes a rectangular base member and a seat member having two angularly disposed xed seat portions each of which may serve either as the bottom vor as the'back of a seat, seat operating mechanism comprising: pivot plates secured in identical positions on the two ends of each of said seat portions; two support plates on each end of the base member; a swinging link connecting each pivot plate to one of said support plates so that the seat member may swing on said links between two oppositely facing positions with each of said seat portions serving as the bottom -of the seat in one of said two positions; a latch plate ixedly secured to each seat portion at a point which is adjacent the center of one end of the base member; a mounting plate on the frame adjacent the latch plate; a latch member pivotally mounted on the mounting plate in releasable engagement with the latch plate; a vertically slideable latch actuating arm making a pin and slot connection with said mounting plate and operatively connected to the latch member to release the latch member as it is moved down, said arm having a projecting foot piece at its lower end; and a tension spring connected to the actuating arm and mounting plate to urge the arm upwardly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS v130,011 Brooke July 3o, 1872 316,735 Buntin Apr. 28, 1885 324,129 Liversey Aug. 11, 1885 343,414 Woodmansee June 8, 1886 2,546,834 Pfau Mar. 27, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 409,792 Great Britain May 10, 1934 

